Tong assembly



R. L. KOEHLER TONG ASSEMBLY Jan. 1, 1963 Filed March 7, 1960 IN VEN TOR.

r2915; Met/ 4 flusssu, 6115a! United States Patent 3,071,405 PatentedJan. 1, 1963 Fine The present invention relates generally to theconstruction and erection art, and more particularly to a novel tongassembly for use in erecting telephone poles and the like.

Briefly stated, the device comprises a base member which contains a pairof tong arms pivotally mounted adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship. An hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a pistonrod is removably mounted above the base member between the tong arms. Aconnecting rod has one end connected to the end of the piston rod, andthe other end thereof extends beneath the hydraulic cylinder and isfastened to control arms which actuate the tong arms. Means are providedfor guiding the movement of the connecting rod to assure equal anduniform movement of the tong arms.

At the present time, telephone poles and the like are usually moved intoa vertical position and set in holes in the ground by a gang of workmenusing so-called pike poles. This method is unsatisfactory for a numberof reasons. One disadvantage is that it requires at least three men tomove and maintain a pole in an upright position and ofttimes the pikepoles slip, permitting the telephone pole to fall and cause injury tothe workmen and damage to the equipment. A further disadvantage is thatsetting poles by hand is a slow and laborious process.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a noveltong assembly which can be used with existing power equipment containedon utility trucks, whereby telephone poles and the like can be easilyand quickly set in a vertical position in previously dug holes withoutthe use of manual labor. More particularly, it 13 an object to providesuch a device which is hydraulically actuated and which can bemounted onderrick and earthboring trucks and operated from the existing hydraulicpower equipment contained on said trucks.

Another object is to provide a novel tong assembly which is simple indesign and rugged in construction, and which is dependable in itsoperation. More particularly, it is an object to provide such a devicewhich has relatively few parts and which is positive and reliable in itsoperation so as to minimize malfunctions and the maintenance thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention is shown.

in the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tong assembly constructed inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the tong assembly with a portionof the device broken away to show the internal construction thereof;

1 1G. 3 is a side elevational view of the tong assembly taken from thebottom of FIG. 2, showing it mounted on a sheave housing;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the top portion of amounting bolt; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a derrick truck in operation withthe tong assembly mounted on the top of the sheave housing.

Referring to the drawing more particularly by reference numerals,specifically FIG. 1, It? indicates a tong assembly embodying theteachings of the present invention, which includes a butterfly-shapedbase plate 12. The base plate 12 contains right-hand and left-handprotuberant portions 14- and 16, respectively, each of which contains anopening 18 adjacent the center thereof. An annular spacer plate 2t} ispositioned on the right-hand portion in in alignment with the aperture18 therein, and a shim 22 is mounted on top of said spacer plate. Asimilar shim 24 is mounted on the left-hand protuberant portion 16 inalignment with the opening 18 contained therein. Positioned on theaforementioned shims are right-hand and left-hand tong arms 26 and 28,respectively, each of which includes a base portion which contains afirst opening 30 adjacent the center thereof and a tapped opening 32adjacent its innermost edge. A mounting bolt 34 (FIG. 6) extendsdownwardly through the opening fill in each tong arm and the alignedopening 18 in the base plate so as to mount the arm on the base platewith the shim therebetween. As previously mentioned, the tong armassembly on the right-hand side also includes a spacer block so thatwhen the free ends of the tong arms are moved together, they overlap asshown in FIG. 2. A nut 36 is threaded on the lower end of each mountingbolt 34 and tack-Welded as at 37 to hold it in position to permitpivotal movement of the tong arm mounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 6,each bolt 34 contains a tapped hole 33 in the head portion thereof whichreceives a grease fitting 40. Leading from the tapped hole 38 is aright-angle passageway 42 which terminates at the side of the bolt,whereby grease can be introduced into the space between the bolt and thevarious parts mounted thereon.

Welded to the base plate 12 in an upright position between theprotuberant portions 14 and 16 is a head retainer member 4 which has acurved upper guard flange portion 45, and a cuplike portion 46. Weldedto the other end of the base plate 12 in opposed relationship with saidhead container member is a rear retainer member 48 which contains akeyhole type slot 50 having a substantially circular upper portion ofapproximately the same size as the aforementioned cup-like portion 46.Two parallel, spaced guide blocks 52 are welded to the base plate 12 soas to extend between the head retainer member 44 and the rear retainermember 48 (FIG. 5) for a purpose to appear.

Extending between the head retainer member 44 and the rear retainermember 48 is an hydraulic actuating cylinder 5 iwhich as one endsuported in the cup-like portion 46 and the other end thereof supportedin the circular upper portion of the keyhole slot 50. Said hydrauliccylinder 54- has two spaced conduit connections 56 in the upper portionthereof and contains a piston 58 and a piston rod 60 which extendsbeyond the rear retainer member 48. Connected to the free end of thepiston rod 60 by a machine screw 62 is an L-shaped connecting rod 64which extends inwardly through the slot 5%, the inner end of saidconnecting rod containing a vertically extending guide pin 66 which isheld in place by a removable retaining pin 68. As shown in FIGS. 4 and5, the lower end of the guide pin 66 is positioned between and guided bythe spaced guide blocks 52. Righthand and left-hand curved control arms70 and 72, respectively, are pivotally mounted on the guide pin 66 andextend therefrom to the base portions of the right-hand and left-handtong arms, the ends of said control arms being connected to the tongarms by means of machine cap screws 74 positioned in the aforementionedtapped openings 32.

As shown in FIG. 1, a retainer plate 76 is removably fastened to therear retainer member 43 by machine cap screws 78 so as to extend acrossthe slot 50 between the piston rod 60 and the connecting rod 64 therebymaintaining the hydraulic cylinder 54 in operative position. When it isdesired to remove the hydraulic cylinder 54, or disassemble the unit forinspection or maintenance Work thereon, it is only necessary to removethe retaining plate 76 and disconnect the piston rod 60 from theconnecting rod 64, and the cylinder 54 can be removed through the upperportion of the keyhole slot 50.

It will be readily apparent from the foregoing description that when theunit is assembled and fluid is admitted to the hydraulic cylinder 54through the conduit connections 56 so as to move the piston 58 and thepiston rod 60, the connecting rod 64 is moved longitudinally relative tothe base plate 12. When the connecting rod 64 is actuated, the guide pin66 moves in the slot formed between the guide blocks 52 and causes thecontrol arms 70 and 72 to pivot the tong arms 26 and 28, respectively,thereby causing them to move between an open position and a closedposition.

In FIG. 7 there is shown a derrick truck 80 which contains a telescopingderrick pole 82 having a sheave housing 84 at the upper end thereof, thesheave receiving a line 86 which is controlled by a winch 88. In mostinstances, the base member 12 of the tong assembly can be welded (orotherwise fastened) directly to the upper surface of the sheave housing84 (FIG. 3). The same also holds true with respect to installing thedevice on earthboring machines which usually contain a sheave housing atthe upper end of the auger bar housing. The hydraulic cylinder 54 can beoperated through the hydraulic power equipment 90 on the truck, andmeans can be provided for retracting the hydraulic lines 92 which areconnected to the conduit connections 56, as when the derrick pole 82 isbeing extended or retracted.

Thus, it is readily apparent that there has been provided a novel tongassembly which fulfills all of the objects and advantages soughttherefor. It contains relatively few parts and is simple and compact inconstruction, yet strong and rugged in operation. When mounted on thetop of a derrick pole or the like and hydraulically operated, one mancan easily and quickly lift and set a pole using the control equipmenton the truck, thereby obviating the necessity of having workmen withpike poles manhandle the pole into position.

With the hydraulic cylinder 54 mounted over the control arms 70 and 72,the length of the device is appreciably decreased without adverselyaffecting any of the operating features thereof. Also, with the pin 66guided between the bars 52 there is no chance of twisting or springingthe connecting rod 64 or the piston rod 60, as may tend to occur if apole were to fall sideways and twist the tong arms. The guiding of thepins 66 also results in equal pressure being applied through the tongarms 26 and 28. In addition, the guard flange 45 prevents the pole frombeing gouged if it were to twist and fall against the hydrauliccylinder. Furthermore, the simple yet highly effective lubricating meanscontained in the mounting bolts 34 assures adequate lubrication of thetong arms to permit easy pivotal movement thereof.

It is to be understood that the foregoing description and accompanyingdrawing have been given only by way of illustration and example and thatchanges and alterations in the present disclosure which will be readilyapparent to one skilled in the art are contemplated as within the scopeof the present invention.

I claim:

1. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an upstanding head retainer member mounted on the basemember between the tong arms; an upstanding rear retainer member mountedon the base member in opposed relationship with the head retainermember; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodremovably supported on said retainer members; and control armsinterconnecting the piston rod and the tong arms for moving the latterbetween the open and the closed positions upon actuation of thehydraulic cylinder.

2. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodpositioned above said base member and between said tong arms; anupstanding head retainer member mounted on the base member between thetong arms and containing a cavity for receiving and supporting one endof said hydraulic cylinder; an upstanding rear retainer member mountedon the base member in opposed relationship with the head retainer memberand containing an aperture for receiving and supporting the other end ofthe hydraulic cylinder; and means interconnecting the piston rod and thetong arms for moving the latter between the open position and the closedposition upon actuation of the hydraulic cylinder.

3. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodpositioned above said base member and between said tong arms; anupstanding head retainer member mounted on the base member between thetong arms and containing a socket-like portion for receiving andsupporting one end of said hydraulic cylinder; an upstanding rearretainer member mounted on the base member in opposed relationship withthe head retainer member and containing an aperture for receiving andsupporting the other end of the hydraulic cylinder and being of a sizewhereby said cylinder can be withdrawn therethrough; removably retainingmeans mounted on the rear retainer member preventing the withdrawal ofthe hydraulic cylinder; and means interconnecting the piston rod and thetong arms for moving the latter between the open position and the closedposition upon actuation of the hydraulic cylinder.

4. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodpositioned above said base member and between said tong arms; anupstanding head retainer member mounted on the base member between thetong arms and containing a socket-like portion for receiving andsupporting one end of said hydraulic cylinder; an up standing rearretainer member mounted on the base member in opposed relationship withthe head retainer member and containing a keyhole type aperture with anupper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the aperturereceiving and supporting the other end of the hydraulic cylinder; aconnecting rod having one end connected to the piston rod and the otherend thereof extending through the lower portion of said aperture to aposition beneath the hydraulic cylinder; and means interconnecting saidother end of the connecting rod and the tong arms for moving the latterbetween the open position and the closed position upon actuation of thehydraulic cylinder.

5. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodpositioned above said base member and between said tong arms; anupstanding head retainer member mounted on the base member between thetong arms and containing a socket-like portion for receiving andsupporting one end of said hydraulic cylinder; an upstanding rearretainer member mounted on the base member in opposed relationship withthe head retainer member and containing a keyhole type aperture with anupper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion of the aperturereceiving and supporting the other end of the hydraulic cylinder; aconnecting rod having one end connected to the piston rod and the otherend thereof extending through the lower portion of said aperture to aposition beneath the hydraulic cylinder; means mounted on the basemember for guiding the movement of said other end of the connecting rodin a path parallel with the axis of the hydraulic cylinder; and meansinterconnecting said other end of the connecting rod and the tong armsfor moving the latter between the open position and the closed positionupon actuation of the hydraulic cylinder.

6. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodmounted above the base member and between the tong arms; an elongatedslot provided in the base member below and parallel with the axis of thehydraulic cylinder; a connecting rod having one end fastened to thepiston rod and the other end thereof extending to adjacent said slot,said other end including guide means positioned in said slot; and meansinterconnecting said other end of the connecting rod with the tong armsfor moving the latter between the open position and the closed positionupon actuation of the hydraulic cylinder.

7. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member adjacent one end thereof in opposedspaced relationship for relative movement between an open position and aclosed position; an upstanding head retainer member mounted on the basemember between the tong arms; and upstanding rear retainer membermounted on the base member in opposed relationship with the headretainer member; an hydraulic actuating cylinder containing a piston rodremovably supported on said retainer members; an elongated slot providedin the base member beneath and parallel with the hydraulic cylinder, theslot extending between said retainer members; and L-shaped connectingrod having one end fastened to the piston rod and the other end thereofextending below the cylinder to adjacent said slot; a guide pin having alower portion supported on said outer end of the connecting rod, thelower portion being positioned in said slot; and curved control armshaving one end pivotally mounted on the guide pin and the other endthereof pivotally connected to one of said tong arms.

8. A tong assembly, comprising: a base member; a pair of tong armspivotally mounted on the base member in spaced relationship for relativemovement between an open position and a closed position; an hydraulicactuating cylinder containing a piston rod mounted between the tong armsand extending longitudinally of the base member; a connecting memberfastened to the end of the piston rod and movable therewith in thelongitudinal direction; linkage means interconnecting the tong arms andsaid connecting member; and guide means separate from the hydraulicactuating cylinder confining the movement of the connecting member tothe longitudinal direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent

4. A TONG ASSEMBLY, COMPRISING: A BASE MEMBER; A PAIR OF TONG ARMSPIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER ADJACENT ONE END THEREOF IN OPPOSEDSPACED RELATIONSHIP FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION AND ACLOSED POSITION; AN HYDRAULIC ACTUATING CYLINDER CONTAINING A PISTON RODPOSITIONED ABOVE SAID BASE MEMBER AND BETWEEN SAID TONG ARMS; ANUPSTANDING HEAD RETAINER MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER BETWEEN THETONG ARMS AND CONTAINING A SOCKET-LIKE PORTION FOR RECEIVING ANDSUPPORTING ONE END OF SAID HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; AN UPSTANDING REARRETAINER MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE BASE MEMBER IN OPPOSED RELATIONSHIP WITHTHE HEAD RETAINER MEMBER AND CONTAINING A KEYHOLE TYPE APERTURE WITH ANUPPER PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION, THE UPPER PORTION OF THE APERTURERECEIVING AND SUPPORTING THE OTHER END OF THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; ACONNECTING ROD HAVING ONE END CONNECTED TO THE PISTON ROD AND THE OTHEREND THEREOF EXTENDING THROUGH THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID APERTURE TO APOSITION BENEATH THE HYDRAULIC CYLINDER; AND MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAIDOTHER END OF THE CONNECTING ROD AND THE TONG ARMS FOR MOVING THE LATTERBETWEEN THE OPEN POSITION AND THE CLOSED POSITION UPON ACTUATION OF THEHYDRAULIC CYLINDER.